


a thousand miles from where you are

by meteoranger



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, jamil and kalim are a couple of years older cos this is set sometime after they've graduated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteoranger/pseuds/meteoranger
Summary: It's the first time Jamil was spending his birthday so far away from home, and he didn't realize how much he'd miss being greeted by a certain someone.In which Jamil is following his dreams and travelling alone. Written for Jamil's birthday.
Relationships: Kalim Al-Asim/Jamil Viper
Comments: 9
Kudos: 93





	a thousand miles from where you are

It was well into the night when Jamil finally returned home to the apartment he was renting. He was _exhausted_ , with almost every muscle in his body aching in pain and screaming for relief, and there was nothing he wanted more than a nice, warm bath and a good night’s sleep. The past two days themselves weren’t bad; he had gone on an overnight mountain-climbing trip with a group of fellow tourists on a far-off island that they had to reach by boat, followed by a quick tour of the town before finally heading back home. It had definitely been a very enjoyable experience, and he returned with many learnings and pictures and memories and even a few souvenirs to send back home, but even he had his limits and just wanted to take time now to rest.

It was an immense weight off his shoulders, both literally and figuratively, to finally put down his backpack and collapse onto the soft, fluffy warmth of his bed. He was desperate for that bath, but he wanted to just lie down and close his eyes for now. He could already feel himself dozing off, and part of him wanted to just fall asleep right then and there, but he knew he couldn’t yet. First he needed to sort things out so he could get as much uninterrupted rest as possible, _then_ he could go to bed. He was never one to do things halfway, after all, and he wasn’t going to wake up with an even greater ache than he went to sleep with.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he turned in bed, pressing his face onto his pillow. When he closed his eyes, he could still see vivid images of the mountain summit and of how beautiful it had been. He had taken quite a number of pictures, of course - he wanted to preserve the moment, and to share it with his family back home - but seeing it first hand was different. It had been an exhilarating feeling to stand so high up and above the sky like he was some sort of god, to look down on the sea of clouds and not see the world below it, to watch the sun as it came and went and to be much closer to the stars than he ever thought he could be. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about it; it was definitely a moment he would treasure for the rest of his life.

After a few more minutes of rest, just enough for him to have the energy to move again, Jamil opened his eyes and sat up, reaching for his backpack on the foot of the bed. He had to put his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, set aside and sort through his souvenirs, and put away everything else back to where they belonged. As he took his things out of his bag, he remembered that he hadn’t checked his phone in hours, and even had it turned off for most of the trip. He sighed as he dug it out of one of his pockets and turned it on, wondering if there was anything he missed.

His phone buzzed in his hand as he switched it on, and it was only when his screen loaded and he saw today’s date flashing at him did he realize what day it was. The 12th of September, his very own birthday. A part of him felt a bit sheepish forgetting about it, but if he thought about it, it wasn’t like he was with friends or family to celebrate, and he had had a good day, anyway. He wondered if he should indulge himself in some late-night curry to remind him of home, and if he could maybe get a little cake to eat tomorrow, just a bit of a treat to make him feel like he really had turned another year older.

It took a moment before his phone started to vibrate with messages that had only just started coming in. Jamil swiped his thumb across the screen to unlock it, browsing through them quickly - there were, of course, messages from his parents, his sister, his relatives, and his friends, and it made him smile as he looked through them. It sure was nice to be remembered.

_I suppose I can reply to everyone while I’m in the bath,_ he thought as he scrolled through his inbox. It was only after a couple more messages, however, did he realize that there was one name he hadn’t seen yet - a name he didn’t want to admit he had been searching for - and he couldn’t help but frown as he noticed it.

Kalim didn’t have the best memory when it came to dates, but he _always_ remembered Jamil’s birthday, and he always made a big deal out of it to the point that Jamil himself would be bothered and end up fixing the preparations for his own party. So not getting even a single text from him when Jamil’s birthday was almost over where he was and when it was still pretty early back home, and they were this far apart from each other… He was a grown man now, but that didn’t mean Jamil wasn’t prone to the occasional sulking, especially when he thought it was warranted.

_Stupid Kalim,_ he thought with a pout, before deciding to just shake it off and ignore it for now. He was going to take a warm bath, have some delicious curry, and go to bed, and not think about this slight. Maybe there’ll be a greeting in the morning, and if not, Kalim was going to have it for sure when he got back home.

* * *

An hour later, Jamil settled on his couch, freshly-bathed and relaxed and with a plate of hot and spicy curry in his hands. He felt absolutely refreshed, almost as if all of the day’s exhaustions had been washed away in the bath, and he was already looking forward to a good night’s sleep later. For now though, he was going to enjoy his curry as a bit of a birthday treat. Because it was his favorite thing to eat, his mother would usually cook it extra special for him on his birthdays, and would even send some over to the Scarabia dorm during his time in NRC, so it had become a bit of a tradition to have special birthday curry. Of course, he’d also gladly accept any excuse to be able to eat his favorite food more than he usually did.

He turned on the TV as he sat down, figuring he could do with some background noise as he ate. Flicking through the channels, he settled on what looked like a wildlife documentary, and started to eat as he watched.

_Delicious_. Jamil knew he was a great cook, and he had only gotten better at his craft with practice, but the first bite alone was already enough to remind him of home. It had been a couple of weeks since he had started his travels, and while he was enjoying it, he was unquestionably homesick. This was the first time he had been so far away from the Country of Hot Sands for so long, and it was both freeing and strange. He had gotten a bit used to it, going to different places he had only ever seen in books and in magazines and witnessing sights he had never thought he would see, but whenever he returned to where he was staying, he would think back fondly about the home he had (only temporarily) left behind, and wonder when he would make it back. Cooking their native cuisine was one way for him to remember home, and it was something he tried to indulge in whenever he wasn’t trying out the food of the places he was visiting.

Just as he finished eating, his phone buzzed again, and he reached for it with one hand. Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was his sister calling him, and he wondered what it was about. She had already greeted him a happy birthday by text, and she had told him rather adamantly before he left that she wouldn’t be calling him during his trip because she didn’t want to think about the phone costs, so this was definitely unexpected.

“Hello?” said Jamil, raising his phone up to his ear. “I wasn’t expecting you to call. What is it?”

“Your boyfriend,” replied his sister, sounding as though she was grating her teeth and was trying her best not to snap, “is being very, very, _very_ irritating, Jamil.”

_What?_ “I beg your pardon?”

“Here. You talk to him.” Before Jamil could say anything else, he heard what sounded like the phone being passed around, with a bit of fumbling involved and his sister exclaiming “Don’t _drop_ it!”, until a new yet familiar voice came on the line.

“J-Jamil?”

Almost instantly, Jamil’s heart clenched, and the longing ache that washed over him was so unexpected and overwhelming that he nearly dropped his own phone. “K… Kalim,” he said softly, his voice shaking just the slightest bit from uncontrolled emotion. It had only been a few weeks since they had last seen and heard from each other, with Kalim standing at the airport with a smile and telling Jamil that he hoped he would have fun while he was away, but it felt like an eternity. The hand that was holding his phone trembled, and Jamil put his plate down on the table, not wanting to accidentally drop it and make a mess. “I, uh… Hi.”

“H-hey.” Kalim sounded so hesitant, as if there were many different things he wanted to say but didn’t quite know how to go about it. Jamil waited on his end, not knowing what to say himself, and in the background he heard his sister speaking once again, saying what sounded like, “Hurry _up_ , this call is expensive”, and Kamil responding with “I-I’ll pay for it, don’t worry about it!”

“...I’m surprised she even let you on her phone,” Jamil finally said. “She doesn’t even let me do that.” His sister was quite particular about her things, not wanting anybody else touching them; there was a time Jamil had left his phone at home and needed to borrow hers for an urgent call, and even then she had given him a look as though he was joking and only relented after he promised to buy her lunch.

At this, Kalim laughed softly, seemingly relaxing at how casual Jamil’s words were. “I didn’t expect it, either… I guess she’s just that annoyed with me.”

“Why _is_ she annoyed with you? It must be pretty serious.” Jamil started to relax in his seat as well, letting out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. There was something soothing about just hearing Kalim’s voice like this again, and it put him at ease. “What did you do to piss her off?”

“Ah, well… I’ve just been very restless all day, I suppose, and she says she’s fed up with it.”

“Restless? About what?”

“...About calling you.”

Jamil blinked, not having expected that response. “Huh…? What do you mean?”

“Well…” He could already picture Kalim fidgeting on the other end of the line, looking too embarrassed and apologetic to speak - and then Kalim let out what sounded like a surprised yelp, and it was Jamil’s sister’s voice on the line again, saying, “He’s been _very_ annoying all day wondering whether or not he should call you to greet you a happy birthday, saying he really wanted to talk to you but didn’t want to bother you on your trip, so I decided to just call you myself and make you two talk to each other. _There._ I’m gonna go and do my hair now, and you two better make good use of this call because I’m not paying for it. Good night!”

Just like that, the cogs in Jamil’s brain clicked together, and he almost felt silly for not thinking of it earlier.

Of course. _Of course_ that’s what had happened.

“J-Jamil?” It was Kalim on the line again, and this time he definitely sounded embarrassed. “S-sorry about that… Anyway, you heard your sister. I, uh, I’m really sorry, for interrupting you on your vacation…”

“...Pfft… Ha… Hahahaha!” Unable to stop himself, Jamil began to laugh heartily. _Stupid, stupid Kalim._ In his mind, he could visualize it, Kalim pacing back and forth and wondering out loud whether or not he should call, listing to himself the pros and cons of doing it while his sister rolled her eyes in the background and sighed frustratedly before she finally grabbed her phone and did the calling herself. It was so amusing, yet so like them, that he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Jamil? Hey! Hey, what’s so funny?!”

“It’s just… That’s so like you, Kalim. I should’ve known that’s why I hadn’t gotten anything from you.” A fond smile tugged at Jamil’s lips at the thought. If it was this kind of reasoning, well, he was more than willing to forgive him. “You didn’t think of just sending a text like everybody else did, so I could just read it at the end of the day? I turn my phone off when travelling, so it wouldn’t have bothered me at all, you know.”

On his end, Kalim sighed, pouting slightly this time. “You see I thought of that, but I also thought, ‘I want to hear Jamil’s voice’, so I figured a call would be the best way to go about it, you know? But I really didn’t want to bother you…”

_Ah._ The casual, easy way he said that made Jamil’s heart flutter, and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “S-stupid… Then, you could’ve just sent a text asking if you could call, and if I said yes then you wouldn’t have been bothering me, yeah?”

There was silence on the other end as Kalim pondered this before he laughed as well. “You’re right! Well then, I’ll keep that in mind for next time, then. You’re really smart, Jamil!”

“I know I’m smart, but this is just common sense… Well, whatever.” Jamil smiled and closed his eyes as he relaxed further on the couch, leaning against a pillow as he pressed the phone a bit closer to his ear. “Well? Aren’t you gonna say what you called me for?”

“Ah, right, right, sorry! Well then…” Kalim took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments before speaking once again. “Jamil, happy birthday! I’m wishing you all the best for the year ahead!”

“There we go… Thank you, Kalim.” Jamil’s smile was fond as he heard the familiar greeting; he hadn’t realized until then just how much he had been wanting to hear the words coming from Kalim, how much he missed just the sound of his voice. It suddenly made him even more homesick, and he curled up into himself, feeling like a child once again. “I would’ve been very, _very_ mad with you if you really forgot about my birthday.”

“Sorry, sorry! You know I never forget! I promise I’ll greet on time next time, and every other time after that!” At the very least, because it was Kalim, Jamil knew he was being completely sincere. He was always so honest, so kind, so loving, that if he did genuinely forget a birthday he’d do everything he could to make up for it, although that often came in the form of extravagant parties and gifts. “In fact, I’ll make up for it right now, and give you a lot of greetings ‘cos I’m so late! Are you ready?” Without further ado, he started to sing. “Okay, happy birthday, Jamil! Happy birthday, Jamil! Happy birthday, dear Jamil! Happy birthday t-”

“Stop, stop, stop, that’s annoying.” Jamil was laughing, though, and on Kalim’s end, the sound of his gentle laughter made him smile. “One greeting is fine, I’m satisfied with that. Thanks, Kalim.”

“Mm, alright! If you say so.” There was a brief pause, and Jamil figured Kalim was probably sitting down somewhere so they could keep talking like this. “So, how’d you spend your day? Your sister mentioned you went on another trip, but I wasn’t sure where…”

“Oh, yeah, I went mountain-climbing overnight. You know the Island of Fortune, right? It’s about a two-hour boat ride from here, so I went there yesterday with a group of tourists and some guides, and…”

The next thing Jamil knew, he was telling Kalim all about it, every detail from what the boat ride was like to what the island looked like when they arrived, how they were welcomed by the locals, how they first had to visit a shrine and receive a blessing from a shaman before they climbed the mountain. He told Kalim about how they started hiking up the mountain with the sun high up in the sky, how their guides were so skilled that they moved with total ease even while carrying heavy bags, how they patiently helped the other climbers who were struggling with the trail. He told Kalim about the stories the guides shared with them, the different sights he saw while climbing, the various flora and fauna he hadn’t even seen in books before. He told Kalim about how they made camp before sunset, how they all made dinner together and told stories around a warm little campfire, how he felt so close to the stars when he went to sleep that night. He told Kalim about how they woke up early in the morning to continue climbing again, how it was so much colder than the desert at night, how eerie yet exciting it was to hike in the dark with so little light. Kalim was silent the entire time, not interrupting him for even one second, and Jamil knew it was because he was listening with bated breath, his own eyes shining as he visualized everything Jamil was telling him.

“It was still pretty dark, but by then I had already gotten used to the trail, and I really wanted to get to the top,” Jamil said now, the memory still clear in his head as he recalled it. As he spoke, he walked over to the open window for a breath of fresh air, leaning against the sill and looking up at the starry night sky. “You know one of the really skilled guides I told you about, Raoul? He already went on ahead, and I wanted to follow him as quickly as I could. So I tried to catch up to him, and eventually I was climbing ahead of everybody else and…” He paused, his breath catching in his throat as he remembered, his voice turning into a whisper. “...I was the first to make it to the summit.”

That’s right - that’s what had really made the experience so vivid, so special, so unforgettable, so much so that he knew he would treasure it forever. He would never, ever forget the exact moment he made it to the top, arms and legs aching from the climb and the cold air biting at his face, but feeling all of that exhaustion ebb away when he looked ahead and saw the sun beginning to rise over the clouds, painting the sky a beautiful orange color that reminded him of home. It was a breathtaking sight, so radiant and so warm that he couldn’t look away.

And being the first climber to make it up there, even just among his group, was another thing Jamil would hold dear in his heart. The guide named Raoul hadn’t been there as he expected, apparently having taken a bit of a detour to make sure the trail was safe before arriving a few minutes after him, so for a while he was truly alone there at the summit. It was an odd feeling, standing up there above the clouds all by himself, with no one to share the moment with - yet at the same time that was how he knew the moment was _his_ , no one else’s, and it gave him a sort of happiness he couldn’t even begin to describe.

“S… So, yeah, I was the first to make it to the top,” he continued, clearing his throat a bit; he hadn’t realized that he’d been silent for quite a while just reminiscing. “It was really, really beautiful up there… I took a couple of pictures, so I can show you what it looks like, but I feel like they don’t really match up to what it’s like seeing it first hand… I think I was able to appreciate it by myself for about half an hour before Raoul and the others followed, and we all had breakfast there at the summit once everyone was together again.”

“That… That’s amazing. That’s amazing, Jamil.” On the other end of the line, Kalim’s voice had turned into a whisper as well, and it took a moment before Jamil noticed the familiar sniffling sounds he was making.

“...Kalim, are you crying?”

“A-ah, sorry, can you hear it? I was trying to keep it down.” Kalim sniffled again, and it sounded like he was wiping at his tears now, his voice coming out a bit shaky as he spoke again; he should’ve known Jamil would notice, especially since he wasn’t doing a good job at hiding it. “Sorry, it was just… You sound like you really, really had fun, and that makes me happy, Jamil. You had fun, right?”

There it was again - the longing ache that clenched at Jamil’s heart. _God, I miss him._ “I did… I had lots of fun.”

“I’m glad, then.” Kalim laughed softly, a sound that made Jamil miss him even more. “I’m so glad. Just the way you were talking about it, I could tell it was a really wonderful experience for you, huh?”

“It really was… I’m never going to forget it.” Jamil bit his lip, his free hand tugging absentmindedly at the sleeve of his shirt. “...Maybe… Maybe next time, we could go together.”

“E-eh, really? You’d take me with you?” Kalim sounded like he hadn’t expected that at all, but at the same time he couldn’t stop himself from smiling with the knowledge that Jamil wanted to go there again with him. “That’ll be fun! Oh, but, I’m probably gonna weigh you down, I don’t really have a lot of experience climbing mountains…”

“Mm, it’s fine. I’ll be there to guide you, won’t I? I’ll make sure to slow down so you can catch up.”

Kalim laughed heartily at that. “You’re right… I can always rely on you after all, right? Jamil is the best, after all.”

“Of course I am.” The words made Jamil’s heart swell with pride; Kalim always said them, and he was never short of praise, but over the years Jamil had come to appreciate them more and more. It amazed him so much sometimes how Kalim could still be so kind to him, how Kalim could still love him so much, even if he’d broken his trust and betrayed him in the past. Still, that felt like such a long time ago now, and Kalim was nothing less than forgiving; it was something that Jamil had vowed to never take for granted. He felt vulnerable now, just speaking to him on the phone like this and not being next to him like he always had been, and he sighed softly. “...I miss you, Kalim.”

“I miss you, too.” The words came easily after all the time they’ve spent together, all the hurdles they’ve overcome to get to where they were. On his end, Kalim looked out the window, at the stars that were beginning to light up the night sky, and wondered if Jamil was looking up at the same view as him, even if he was more than a thousand miles away. When Jamil announced that he was taking a few months off to do some travelling, Kalim had wanted nothing more than to tag along, to be by his side as he saw the world - but he had held himself back, knowing it was something Jamil wanted to do alone. It was a wish Jamil had had for a long time, way back when they were still students, and it was a wish Kalim wanted to respect. It had been painful, watching Jamil pack his things and seeing him board the plane and go far away, but deep down inside, Kalim had also felt proud and happy. After all, Jamil was making his wish come true, and if he was happy, then Kalim’s wish would come true as well.

“But we’ll see each other when you get back, right?” Kalim said now, trying to keep the conversation light. It was Jamil’s birthday after all, and he didn’t want him to be sad. “When you come home, I’m throwing you a huge party! No buts! We’re gonna invite your family, and all our friends too, and it’s gonna be a great big blast! Everyone’s going to be so excited to see you again! That’s something to look forward to, yeah?”

Jamil chuckled softly as he listened. Back then, he would’ve complained a lot about the extravagance, but he had gotten tamer over the years, accepting this now as Kalim’s way of showing his love. And who was he to reject that? “I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he said, his voice soft and fond. “You better look forward to the souvenirs I’ve got for you as well.”

“Woooh, gifts from Jamil! I’m super excited!” 

The call ended up going for much longer than expected; now that they were talking, Kalim wanted to hear as much as he could about Jamil’s adventures, and Jamil was more than happy to tell him about the places he’s gone to and the things he’s seen so far. Kalim listened intently to each story, asking some questions here and there, gushing excitedly like a child whenever Jamil described things that were completely new to him. It wasn’t until Jamil’s sister returned, demanding her phone back, that they had to put an end to it, but Kalim begged for an extra five minutes just to say goodbye.

Jamil couldn’t help but laugh as he heard his sister’s dramatic sigh in the background and her stomping off like a petulant child. “I see she hasn’t changed much,” he said with a smile. “You promised you’d pay for the call though, right? Not that I doubt her phone bill would look any different.”

“Yup, I got it covered, don’t worry,” Kalim said, laughing. “To be fair, I should’ve manned up and called you myself… But, I’ll do that next time! And I’ll make sure to text before calling so I don’t bother you!”

“Sounds good to me.” Jamil detached himself from the window then, taking one more look at the sky outside and smiling at the thought of Kalim doing the same back home. “I guess I’m going to bed… It’s been a long day, after all.”

“Alright! Make sure to get lots of rest, okay? Good night, Jamil! Oh, and-” Kalim then made a kissing sound against the phone, a loud _mwah!_ that made Jamil blush in embarrassment and laugh in amusement at the same time. “I love you! And happy birthday again!”

“Stupid… I love you too, Kalim. Good night.”

Jamil looked at his phone as the call ended, the bright screen informing him the call lasted two hours and forty-six minutes. He smiled as he turned it off and crawled into bed, closing his eyes and finally going to sleep.

All in all, it had been a good day, a birthday that he wouldn’t trade for the world. Perhaps next year, though, he could spend it with the people he loved once again, so he could share his happiness with them.

That was definitely something he was looking forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> Have you ever seen a sunrise above the clouds? It's a very beautiful and ethereal experience, something you definitely won't forget easily, and I hope Jamil will be able to see that view, along with many others, for himself in the future. This boy is so special to me and I want nothing more than for him to be happy just as he deserves.
> 
> Happy birthday, Jamil!


End file.
